Zhang Wei quickly made all the necessary arrangements for their final night in the buffer zone. He directed the vehicles to be positioned in a tight circle, creating a physical barrier to block out as much light as possible from their campfires. Under his orders, everyone gathered in the center to start the fires for cooking, keeping the flames low and shielded.
Seeing the caution of the soldiers, Patchouli Knowledge stepped forward. She raised several magical barriers around the entire area, specifically designed to isolate the light and sound coming from within. With these barriers in place, unless someone managed to stumble within a hundred meters of the camp, they wouldn't be able to spot the firelight or hear the sounds of the convoy at all. And, as Patchouli noted, if someone actually did get within a hundred meters, the surrounding sentries would naturally discover them long before they became a threat.
Upon hearing this news, Zhang Wei thanked Patchouli repeatedly. He knew that with the addition of her magical barriers, the night had become significantly safer for his men and the cargo.
Inside the perimeter, Flandre Scarlet watched the exchange and then turned to Remilia, asking quietly with an expression of pure confusion. "Sister, Patchy could clearly add a 'Notice-Me-Not' spell to the barrier so we wouldn't even need guards at all. Why doesn't she just do that?"
Remilia reached out and pinched her little sister's cheek with a faint smile. "The fact that you asked quietly instead of shouting it out for everyone to hear proves you still have a brain in there. The reason for not doing it is simply that it's unnecessary. Moreover, you must realize that while we can protect them for a while, we cannot protect them forever. When making arrangements, one must understand that it's not always best for us to do everything ourselves. We need to leave some work for others; this way, they can feel their own value and stay alert."
Flandre scratched her head in confusion, her mind struggling to grasp why they had to leave work for others when they could easily finish it themselves in an instant. But since her elder sister had said so, she figured there must be a profound reason behind it, so she simply listened and accepted it. Flandre decided that although she wasn't very smart, thinking deeply wasn't really her job anyway. She snuggled contentedly into Remilia's arms, closed her eyes, and fell into a peaceful sleep.
By the time she opened her eyes again, it was already the next day. Thanks to their collective caution and the absolute security of Patchouli's barriers, the night—which should have been fraught with danger in this lawless zone—passed without a single soul being spotted. After a simple breakfast, the convoy began to move rapidly toward the west.
As dozens of heavy vehicles grandly passed through the buffer zone between the two countries, the Ursus side naturally noticed their tracks. However, the border scouts on foot couldn't possibly catch up to the motorized transport. Nor did they dare to give chase lightly; the commanders on the Ursus side were paranoid that this might be a Leithanien ruse designed to lure them out of their defensive positions and into an ambush. After all, both sides had played this kind of "fishing" game more than once or twice in the past.
Their hesitation was the convoy's gain, allowing them to successfully pass through the contested area. By the time the border guards realized what was truly happening, the convoy had already crossed the line and entered Reunion Movement territory.
As the massive convoy approached, the Reunion Movement had already detected its tracks through their own scout network. The one who came to investigate personally was Buldrokkas'tee, who had been patrolling nearby. As soon as the massive commander arrived, he saw someone fly out of the lead vehicle and wave to him enthusiastically from a distance.
"Flandre... the reinforcements from Lungmen have arrived."
Buldrokkas'tee was already aware of the situation; Flandre had notified Alina through their private channels before going to sleep the previous night. That was why the legendary commander happened to appear here so coincidentally. Flandre flew straight onto Buldrokkas'tee's massive, armored shoulder and sat down as if it were a natural throne.
"Old Stubborn, did Alina send you?"
Hearing Flandre's words, a layer of fine sweat broke out on the foreheads of the Reunion soldiers standing around them. Daring to call Buldrokkas'tee the "Old Stubborn"... and even sitting on his shoulder like that; even his own daughter Yelena could only manage the former.
"They're all busy, and I had the most free time, so I came," Buldrokkas'tee rumbled, his voice deep and gravelly. He turned his gaze toward the convoy. By then, Remilia and the others had also flown out of the vehicles to meet him.
"You must be the family Flandre spoke of," he said, acknowledging the group. "Flandre has done great favors for our Reunion Movement and is an esteemed guest; as her family, you will naturally receive the same treatment. However, this is the border and it's very dangerous. Follow me back to our headquarters first!"
Everyone agreed with Buldrokkas'tee's suggestion. Led by the towering commander, the convoy carrying the group rushed toward the Reunion Movement's headquarters—their current mobile module. To avoid any further complications or potential pursuit from Ursus scouts, the convoy traveled through the night under his lead, finally arriving below the mobile module around 2:00 AM.
Since Flandre had been in constant contact with Alina, the mobile module was already fully prepared for their arrival. All Reunion Movement cadres, including Talulah herself, were gathered at the entrance of the mobile module to welcome the convoy. When the people from Rhodes Island learned that Dropper was returning, they also arranged for Logos to meet them.
Seeing such a grand and respectful reception from the Reunion Movement, any slight lingering resentment within the weary transport team regarding the long journey vanished instantly. Once the transport team entered the module, they immediately began the process of unloading. The Rhodes Island group, however, didn't trust ordinary workers with the high-end medical equipment, so they stepped in to handle those specialized crates themselves.
Flandre followed Talulah to organize the distribution of the daily supplies. Among the shipment, one of the trucks was very special. What made it unique was that its contents weren't intended for immediate consumption, but for planting. That's right; this truck was full of food seeds specially prepared by Wei Yenwu based on the Reunion Movement's specific geographical location and climate needs. Flandre had negotiated the list of these supplies through Alina long ago.
As expected, Talulah and the other leaders cared deeply about these seeds. One must know that in Terra, seeds are considered a core secret of every sovereign nation. Since most people in Terra live on mobile modules with extremely limited arable land, the knowledge of how to produce more grain on restricted plots is the very foundation of a country's survival. This truck of seeds was something Wei Yenwu had spent a great deal of effort and many political favors to obtain.
Only after Talulah had personally inspected and secured the seeds did she begin counting the other items. Next was the truck of pure Originium. Just as Alina was about to ask why one piece was missing from the inventory, Flandre stated plainly that she had taken one for her own research. Hearing that Flandre was the one who had taken it, Alina immediately crossed off the discrepancy without another word and continued checking the rest.
To the Reunion Movement, let alone Flandre taking one piece of pure Originium, even if she took the entire truck to play with like firecrackers, they wouldn't say a single word of protest. After all, without Flandre's intervention, who knows what would have become of the Reunion Movement. They certainly wouldn't have a stable territory like they do now, nor would they be able to engage in normal communication and trade with the powers surrounding them.
Although the Ursus side is still significantly affected by the hostilities of the Old Nobility, the Reunion Movement has unexpectedly unlocked trade routes to Victoria and Leithanien. With the arrival of this massive shipment, Talulah and the others were now fully confident that they could turn this territory into a true paradise for the Infected within the borders of Ursus.
Because of their success, there is currently much heated discussion and debate within the Ursus government. Fortunately, with the Emperor currently on their side, even if ordinary citizens are unwilling to move to this frontier, the Infected—especially those who have been driven to the brink of desperation in the harsh territories of the Old Nobility—now make reaching this sanctuary their ultimate goal in life.